THE FIRST game of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 78 Baseball finals saw the Ateneo Blue Eagles lose against the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers, 3-8 on Friday, March 11 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Malate.
For the fourth time in as many seasons, the Eagles clashed with the Archers in the battle for the crown, going head-to-head with their rivals in an attempt to gain the four-peat championship. Both teams topped the standings but attained a 1-1 record against each other in the elimination round.
Runs were scarce early in the game, with both sides failing to make the most out of the few scoring opportunities in the first innings. Paolo Macasaet held DLSU at bay from the pitcher’s mound, as did starting pitcher Vicente Barandiaran for the opposition side. Meanwhile, rookies Gino Tantuico, Javi Macasaet, and DLSU’s veteran shortstop Franco Hashimoto bannered their infields to hold down the fort.
The top of the fourth inning, however, saw Hashimoto spark the offensive flame and banner a five-run rally to put DLSU ahead. The shortstop sent a screamer into right-field that eluded the glove of Ateneo outfielder Renzo Ramos, clearing the bases to give the Archers the lead. A run by Dominguez and a single by centerfielder Paolo Salud brought home Hashimoto and further battered the Blue Eagles.
Undaunted, the defending champions returned fire at the bottom of the fourth, as leadoff Gino Tantuico silenced the DLSU side by taking a swing at first pitch to knock one out of the park for a homerun. The next inning then saw designated hitter Kai Furusawa bat in Marco Mallari and Radito Banzon to bring the score to 6-3 and give the Blue and White a glimpse of hope.
With both sides struggling, the two teams called for changes at the mound, with Miguel Dumlao replacing Macasaet for the Ateneo, and rookie southpaw Diego Lozano heading the battery for DLSU. The tactical substitution from the Taft-squad would eventually prove to be a good decision, with the relief pitcher shutting down scoring for the defending champions.
Action at home base was quiet for the Katipunan-based squad from then on, as Lozano picked off batters one by one to collect seven strikeouts. The Blue Eagles failed to respond offensively to the rally of the fourth, with a shortage of runs proving to be their downfall.
DLSU further extended the later innings of the game, as both Dumlao and closing pitcher Nacho Lozano could do little to prevent the Archers from inching closer to victory after runs at the top of the seventh and ninth. In need of five runs to tie the game–and six to clinch the win–the Blue Eagles mustered one last attempt to rally back at the bottom of the ninth, but an infield play by Diego Lozano off a Furusawa grounder served as the final nail on the coffin, ending the game at 8-3.
The win by DLSU puts them one game away from the UAAP Season 78 championship title. The second game of the finals will be on 12PM, Monday, March 14 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Malate.
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